US Takes a Pass on Kdrama. Fans Say, Whew?

Yes, there are parts of all of us that want Kdramas to come here. We all want to point to a super successful show that our friends are hooked on and go, “You know that’s based on a Kdrama, right? I watched the original. In Korean.” We all want to be cool before cool was cool.

But is it the best for us in the long run? I’m going to say no. What are the chances if it came here that it would be good? That the concept of the original dramas could hold up to the change from 20 episodes to as many seasons as American show producers can wring out of them? As I’ve seen few shows which can hold up to that I’m going to go with no.

Why is this coming up now?

It was just revealed that the two best chances we had for getting on a US network, My Love From Another Star and Nine, have been passed over for the fall season. Sure there are chances they could be picked up later, but in the world of television, this is usually pretty slim.

Awww…poutyface for our favorite shows.

Out of the two I personally would have looked forward to seeing Nine over the Alien drama, as that premise is just so interesting and infinitely changeable. Plus with only nine sticks of incense, there is a limited time the hero can go back into time, giving the show a natural end.

Again though, in the long run, I’m okay with the dramas not going forward. I liked the originals so much (or in the terms of Alien just enough) that I’d hate to see them warp and change into a shadow of their former selves. I like being on the inside with the rest of the world going “You watch what?”. It makes us special–unique. It’s like we’re a part of a special club where, while we’re happy to invite anyone in, we still feel superior to those around us who are not in the club.

So lets not think of this as a loss for Kdrama, lets think of it as the US just not realizing a good thing when they see it–and that’s just how we want to keep it.